Christopher Dorner: Supporters Protest In Front Of LAPD Headquarters

If the LAPD thought that their dirty, little secrets were burned down in that cabin with former colleague and quadruple murder suspect, Christopher Dorner, dozens of protesters gathered outside the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters Saturday afternoon told them otherwise.

Michael Nam, 30, stood at the corner of 1st and Main Streets with a sign, painted by his girlfriend, showing a tombstone and the words “RIP Habeas Corpus.” The tombstone was engulfed in flames.

Nam, of Lomita, said he was disturbed by the burning of a mountain cabin near Big Bear where Dorner barricaded himself with a high-powered sniper rifle, smoke bombs and a cache of ammo. The blaze started shortly after police fired “pyrotechnic” tear gas into the cabin; the canisters are known as “burners” because the intense heat they emit often causes a fire.

But authorities have maintained that the fire was not intentionally set.

Dorner, whose charred body was found in the cabin, appears to have died of a single gunshot wound to the head, authorities said.

Nam said it was “pretty obvious” police wanted Dorner dead. “What I saw was a complete disregard for the Bill of Rights,” Nam said.

San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon, during a news conference Friday, defended the tactics used by his agency in the shootout at the mountain cabin, which left one of his deputies dead and another seriously wounded.

“The bottom line is the deputy sheriffs of this department, and the law enforcement officers from the surrounding area, did an outstanding job,” he said. “They ran into the line of fire.”

Protesters on Saturday said they organized the event through a Facebook page called “I support Christopher Jordan Dorner.” The Facebook post announcing the protest tells attendees to “keep it PEACEFUL” and to bring recording equipment.

The Facebook page states: “This is not a page about supporting the killing of innocent people. It’s supporting fighting back against corrupt cops and bringing to light what they do.”

As the protesters stood Saturday, drivers passing by honked, waved and gave thumbs up. A handful of officers watched from police headquarters across the street.

As previously reported by NewsOne, Dorner is accused of murdering Monica Quan, daughter of his former attorney Randy Quan, and her fiance Keith Lawrence, Riverside police officer Michael Crain and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremiah McKay.

In their hunt for Dorner, Torrance, CA police shot two women, Maggie Carranza, 47, and her mother, 71-year-old Emma Hernandez,who were delivering newspaper in their truck. Carranza sustained minor injuries; Hernandez was shot in the back and remains in ICU.

LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck claims that it was a case of mistaken identity, but attorney for the injured women, Glen Jonas, says that is highly unlikely:

“The vehicle is a different color. The license plate doesn’t match. There’s nothing there for you to start shooting people. And even if they had the person in question… Mr. Dorner…you still have to give them an opportunity to get out. You can’t just start administering street justice,” said Jonas.

The protesters outside are among the many who know that many officers within the LAPD have long administered street justice; now it’s time to end it.